Sunflower houseTheme gardens are like planning a great party or getting to decorate your kids' bedrooms over each year--only gardens grow and blossom. To create a theme, you can borrow from birthday and Halloween themes or stick to the children's...

All plants are not created equal in the eyes of children. Although they don't differentiate when it comes to flowers over vegetables, annuals or perennials (in fact they're likely to plant them side by side), kids have their hands-down favorites.
Kids...

Decomposition is a big word for some students. Help them break it down (pardon the pun), and they'll find that de- (reverse) + compose- (put together) means "to take something apart." All living things -- an oak leaf, a moth's wing, a carrot top -- are...

Sparking Curiosity about Decomposition
If this is your student gardeners' first experience with decomposition concepts, here are some suggestions for stimulating curiosity and inquiry.
Fill a plastic bag with some "once living" materials (e.g., cut...

Once your students have created visions and plans for bountiful outdoor gardens, the next step is bringing them to life. If you're in an area with a short growing season and/or you want to harvest certain crops before school is out for the summer, you...

Planting seedlings with Hurlburt Field Child Care Center: Hurlburt Field Child Care Center is a winner of the 2011 Muhammad Ali Center Peace Garden GrantIf you're gardening both in and out of the classroom, it may be nearing time to transplant carefully...

Your students have spent all winter and early spring nurturing their classroom plants. As spring emerges, you may be planning to move your precious seedlings into school or home gardens, school or community flower beds, or other outdoor locations....

Bulbs can store energy (food) in the form of starch to fuel their seasonal growth cycle. Because they contain a miniature plant with flower, stem, leaf and root parts, bulbs are ready to spring forth when conditions are right. Many bulbs native to...

A wildflower unit for your classroom can be simple or elaborate to fit your situation. It could range from observing and identifying wildflowers growing around the school or in nearby lots to collecting or obtaining seeds and trying to germinate them in...

Kids Gardening and the National Gardening Association actively work with schools and communities across the country to provide educational resources and build gardens to promote health, wellness, and sustainability.